


the millionaire waltz

by skyways_are_highways



Series: how many fics can i name after queen songs [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Drinking, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M, Not Beta Read, We Die Like Men, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, bonus points if you get the title reference lmao, grammarly gave it a score of 99 tho so like, implied child abuse?, ozai isnt relevant but he is mentioned, rated teen only for the swearing, sokka does his best flirting drunk, some underage drinking is implied but not really talked about explicitly, the important characters are legal thats all that matters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:59:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25501747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyways_are_highways/pseuds/skyways_are_highways
Summary: Sokka did not want to go to the gala. Not only was it boring and stupid, but it had Zuko, who he had been working to avoid ever since they made out at the New Year's party three months prior.  They hadn't talked about it since.____They both have brain cells but have neglected to use any of them. Everyone else finds it entirely too funny.(modern au)
Relationships: (those two are background tho we're here for the boys), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: how many fics can i name after queen songs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1848658
Comments: 16
Kudos: 301





	the millionaire waltz

**Author's Note:**

> sokka, zuko, suki, and mai are all of legal drinking age (in the us) and everyone else is not. if they're out of character i am literally so sorry I've never written avatar stuff before
> 
> does the title make sense? no. did i wanna make a queen reference? yes.
> 
> (seriously tho go listen to the millionaire waltz it's 10/10)

Sokka decidedly did not want to go to the gala, but Katara had dragged him anyway. She forced him into his old prom suit and stuffed him into Toph's car when she and her chauffeur had arrived to pick them up. Katara and Toph were chatting back and forth about the party while they drove to Aang's apartment. Sokka pointedly stared out the window and sighed every other minute or so, to be sure they knew he was upset.

He wasn't sure what the gala was for, but he knew that Iroh had been hired to do some of the catering and so he was able to invite a few people along with him. Iroh didn't invite anyone; he just figured Zuko would throw less of a fit if his friends were there. And that was the problem. See, Sokka had been doing his best to avoid Zuko ever since the New Year's party three months ago.

They had both been drinking, but Sokka was definitely _drunk_ when he pulled Zuko into a spare bedroom fifteen minutes after midnight and _thoroughly_ made out with him. Everyone knew Sokka was crushing hard on Zuko, and when both of them disappeared at the same time at the party, they realized they probably didn't want to be the one to find them. Kissing Zuko was as amazing as Sokka had envisioned, and he would've sat there and done it forever if not for Suki's project. She was his ride home and had to be up at the ass-crack of dawn the next morning. Suki had opened the door to find them both shoved up into a corner, and it took both boys an embarrassing amount of time to realize she was there.

He, very regretfully, had to leave the party early. Zuko promised him it was 'not a big deal' and kissed him before Suki led him out of the room, unable to contain her laughter. The next morning, Sokka decided he wouldn't say anything to Zuko about it first, so he didn't sound desperate.

There was one problem.

Zuko didn't say anything, either.

Three months had passed, and neither of them had said a word. Not about each other, not about the party, and certainly not about the rather heated make-out session. Sokka sighed again for good measure, still looking out the window.

"Whatcha so upset about, Snozzles?" Toph asked nonchalantly, picking at her fingernail.

Katara rolled her eyes, "Zuko's not talking to him, but it's not like he's talking to Zuko, either," She crossed her arms and gave him a glare.

Toph cackled, "God, you two are so fucking stupid sometimes. I can talk to Sparky for you if you'd like that better," Toph singsonged between giggles.

Sokka sat up a little higher in his seat, "Don't even fucking think about it, I swear to God, Toph," he said a little too loudly, "He probably just doesn't remember, he was pretty drunk." Sokka knew he wasn't fooling anyone if the way Toph scoffed was any indication.

"Whatever, dumbass," Toph said, "You're both just being dumb."

"They'll figure it out eventually," Katara added, sounding smug. The car turned the corner and parked in front of Aang's apartment. Toph texted him announcing their arrival, but not before arguing with Siri on her phone. A few minutes later, Aang practically leaped out the door to his building and squished into the backseat.

"Hey, Katara!" he said eagerly, kissing her shyly on the cheek and waved to Toph and Sokka. Sokka grumbled a hello back and resumed his previous position of watching the road through the window.

The gala was being held in the ballroom of some fancy hotel that Sokka hoped had a nice bar. Iroh explained that the entire group got free drinks because they were technically his guests. So even if he would have to spend the whole night doing his best to not think about Zuko's mouth, he could at least hang out with Suki getting drunk out of their minds. Well, not too drunk. They didn't want to make Iroh look bad.

Eventually, the car pulled into a parking garage next to a ridiculously fancy building and they all filed out of their seats. Toph's chauffer pulled a thick looking romance novel out of the glovebox and leaned his seat back. Sokka took a second to adjust his tie in the back window of the car while Toph unfolded her cane.

"Alright, let's go in," Toph said once she was ready and the group made their way through the poorly lit parking garage. Aang walked up next to Sokka and glanced up at his face.

"Katara said you're mad at Zuko," he started slowly, "and I think you should just talk to him about it. That's what I did with Katara and it worked out, didn't it?"

"Yeah, well, you and Katara were already making gooey eyes at each other for months. This is different. Just leave it, Aang." Sokka snapped. He tried not to feel too bad when Aang made a shocked face and sped up to avoid him.

Sokka pretended not to hear when Aang whispered to Katara, "I thought they _were_ making gooey eyes?"

The elevator ride was better, Sokka joined in on the conversation between his friends. As dramatic as he was, he could admit that it was more fun to forget his problems, just for a bit. They finally made it to the door outside the ballroom and Sokka could hear the music through the walls.

"Ok, so, meet back here in a few hours? The chauffeur can only sit there so long." Katara said and was met with nods from the others. She shrugged and opened the door.

The entire ballroom was more spacious than anticipated, with high walls and a pretty chandelier in the center of the room. It was mostly filled with middle-aged men and women in expensive outfits, chatting along the walls, and sipping champagne. A few younger kids were chasing each other around the tables and giggling, but otherwise, the guests were all _old_. From across the room, Sokka spotted the back of Suki's head and grinned when she turned around.

"Sokka! How's my favorite dumbass doing?" She teased and ruffled his hair. He shot her a fake frown and readjusted his ponytail. Suki was wearing a dress that didn't really fit in with the dress code, but Sokka thought she made it look so elegant anyway that no one would dare judge her for it.

"You're the dumbass, remember? And I'm doing fine, how about you?" Sokka shot back at her in the same tone, elbowing her in the ribs. Katara was smirking at him from where she stood with Aang, entertained by their antics.

Suki straightened herself out and propped her arm upon his shoulder, "Pretty good, this party's been kind of lame without you, though. Zuko's just been hanging with Mai, and Ty Lee isn't even here. Wanna go be my drinking buddy?"

At that comment, Sokka scanned the entire ballroom a bit more frantically than he would've liked. Sure enough, Zuko was standing next to Mai near the back of the room. Mai pointed to a nearby man sitting with a significantly younger woman and whispered something into Zuko's ear. Zuko grinned slightly and shifted closer to her.

Sokka squirmed uncomfortably. He and Zuko weren't even a thing. He didn't have the right to be jealous. The other boy had made it clear he wasn't interested after the New Year's party. He realized Suki was still expecting an answer, and drinking suddenly sounded much more appealing.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Where's the bar?" Sokka said, and from the look on Suki's face, she knew what he had noticed.

Suki grabbed his hand, leading him between the tables "Seriously, have you still not talked to him about it?"

Sokka scoffed, "Of course not. What do I even say? 'Hey Zuko, sorry we made out, and then you decided you were gonna avoid me.'"

"In his defense, you are also doing the exact same thing," Suki pointed out, "What do you want to drink?"

Sokka shrugged and let her order for them. His eyes found Zuko again, only this time, Zuko was looking back. Sokka saw his eyes widen suddenly before they both turned away and broke eye contact. He knew he was blushing _hard_ and dear God, why was Zuko still hot as hell? Sokka dared to look back over at the other boy who had since turned around entirely. Even from a distance, Sokka could see the redness climbing on the back of his neck.

Suki handed him a shot of something blue, and he knocked it back without thinking. She looked at him pityingly before passing him a bigger glass. They stayed there for a while, taking advantage of their free drinks. Suki was telling him all about her new martial arts group while Sokka was stealing glances at Zuko from across the room.

Zuko had moved to sit next to Azula at a smaller table behind the Jasmine Dragon's station. Azula was rolling her eyes at what he was saying to her and pulled out her phone. She began furiously typing before shooing him away with her hand. Zuko finally pushed his chair out to rejoin Mai at their spot by the wall.

Azula had only recently moved in with Zuko and their Uncle. Even after Zuko had been kicked out, she was still insistent on living with their father to the end, and she did. Only until after Ozai was dragged away from their penthouse in handcuffs did Azula finally pack up her things. Zuko said it was a big adjustment, and she was still a bit 'difficult to be around.' Sokka knew what that meant. He had a younger sister too. It meant that Azula was still being a major bitch.

Suki tapped Sokka on the shoulder, shaking him out of his thoughts. "You good if I go use the bathroom real quick?"

"Oh, yeah, I'll be fine. I can keep an eye on our drinks," Sokka said and Suki smiles, leaving her purse on the seat next to him. He hardly notices when the music shifts to something a bit slower and classier.

Suddenly Aang and Katara are standing beside him. "C'mon, Sokka! I got the band to play some songs to slow dance too! I was thinking you could dance with Suki but I guess we'll have to find you someone else." Aang chirped, grinning ridiculously big.

Sokka rolled his eyes, groaning, "Do I have to? It's not my fault you guys have to find other means of entertainment. I'll sneak you a drink if you leave me alone." He ignored the glare from the bartender, laughing at his own joke.

"No, you're dancing. Come on," Katara grabbed his hand and pulled him up from his seat a little too roughly. The movement made Sokka's head pound. He realized he was _really, really_ drunk. Sighing, he let Katara lead him to the dance floor. She pushed him in the chest toward someone before grabbing Aang.

Sokka bumped into the person behind him before he really knew what was going on. Their hands moved to catch his forearms, stopping him from actually falling onto the ground.

"Shit, sorry," they rasped and in a moment of panic, Sokka realized who it was. He turned around to find himself face to face with Zuko. He ducked his head to look at the ground, hoping to stop Zuko from seeing him blush.

He vaguely remembered that he was supposed to be mad at Zuko. Sokka decided that could wait, he was too drunk to be upset. Especially not when Zuko was looking absolutely gorgeous. He hadn't changed much, considering it had only been three months. He and Zuko still saw each other, anyway, they did have the same friends after all.

"Uh, hi." Sokka realized he'd been awkwardly staring at Zuko for longer than would be considered normal and shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Zuko also looked pretty uncomfortable, "Hi. Guess we're dance partners?" Sokka shrugged and offered Zuko his hands.

"I don't know how to do anything fancy, it's kind of up to you." Sokka laughed uneasily, the alcohol made his brain fuzzy.

Zuko looked around the room, "Seems you're in luck. Nobody's really waltzing or anything. I learned when I was younger, just do what I do."

Neither of them really said anything. Zuko was too busy trying to guide both of their footsteps, and Sokka had lost all higher brain function the second Zuko put his arm around his waist.

Sokka gathered himself after a bit and asked, "So did Mai not want to dance or something?"

Zuko looked confused for a moment, "Oh, what? No. This isn't really her scene, plus it's not like Ty Lee is here," he said.

"What's Ty Lee have to do with anything?" Sokka furrowed his brow. He wondered absently if Zuko had been drinking too.

"Ty Lee is her girlfriend? They've been together for a few months. Thought you knew." Zuko said it like Sokka was stupid for not knowing.

"Oh," Sokka gaped, "I thought she was your girlfriend. You aren't dating anybody?" He ripped his hand away from Zuko and firmly clamped it over his own mouth. He said that _out loud_. He said _that_ out loud. The dance continued around them, the music filling the rather awkward silence

Even Zuko looked dazed from the question and blinked a few times, "Oh, uh, no. I'm not dating anyone."

Sokka, contrary to popular belief, was a master strategist. And despite the alcohol clouding his judgment, he knew he had two choices:

He could continue having an awkward conversation with Zuko about anything but New Year's.  
Or, he could say something probably stupid that might ruin everything or might give him the chance to kiss Zuko again.

After mulling it over for what he was sure were thirty long, horrible seconds from Zuko's perspective, he decided that there was really only one choice.

"It's good," Sokka said slowly, "That you aren't dating anybody, I mean."

Zuko looked a thorough mix of terrified and excited, "Oh. Why?"

Sokka was not too much shorter than Zuko, but he still grabbed the other boy's tie so he could more easily lean in and whisper, "'Cause I was kinda hopin' you'd make out with me again."

Zuko exhaled slowly, and his grip around Sokka tightened just a bit. He swallowed once, "Shit, fuck, follow me." He stammered out.

Zuko led Sokka out the back entrance of the ballroom and into a hallway that was definitely for staff only. Sokka barely had time to think about how lucky they were that everyone was distracted before the door closed and they were desperately kissing each other.

Sokka thought he would never forget how good it was to kiss Zuko that first time at the party. But, evidently, after three months, he had. Zuko's lips were a little chapped but they tasted like spice and whatever wine he'd been drinking earlier.

"Hey," Sokka breathed as soon as he got the chance, "We should do this more often."

Zuko didn't answer but smiled against Sokka's mouth. Hours or hell, even months, could've gone by and Sokka doubted he would've noticed. Not when Zuko was pulling his hair out from its tie, cupping his jaw at just the right angle. Sokka reached up to brush Zuko's scarred cheek with his thumb.

Someone knocked on the door. Neither of the boys heard it creak as it opened. Sokka was too busy being crowded up against a wall and tangling his fingers in Zuko's dress shirt.

They did, however, hear Suki shout, "I called it!" before she began hysterically laughing. Zuko froze while Sokka turned his head toward the door just to see Suki close it again, saying, "Toph's leaving soon, decide if you're going with her."

Sokka and Zuko separated themselves. Zuko straightened out his jacket and tie, "If you actually want to do that again, let's not make it like New Year's."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Sokka asked a little too quickly.

Zuko paused, "I thought you regretted it. You were drunk, after all. And are again, by the way."

"I could never," He was sobering up now, for better or for worse, "I thought _you_ were the one who regretted it."

Zuko choked out a laugh, "Mai was right. We're both massive fucking idiots."

Sokka exhaled a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, "Yeah. We kind of are," he stepped forward to let his forehead rest on Zuko's shoulder, "Do you maybe want to go on an actual date? Only if you want."

"Sokka, I just made out with you in a staff room for ten minutes. I'm going to go ahead and say yes," Zuko lifted Sokka's chin and kissed him again, "But in the meantime, your ride home is leaving."

"How about I text you first tomorrow. Just to make sure no one gets confused," Sokka said smugly, finding the whole situation much funnier now that he got to kiss Zuko.

Zuko looked like he wanted to defend himself before he shook his head, smiling softly, "Whatever. I'll talk to you tomorrow, dumbass."

Sokka went home from the gala feeling significantly better than he did when he arrived. Everyone else in the car, however, took his good mood as an opportunity to bully him. Toph laughed for twenty minutes and complained that Suki owed her money. Katara and Aang could not have said 'I told you so' more if they tried, and even the chauffeur was looking at him funny.

He did text Zuko that next morning, and he wondered why he hadn't done it before.

**Author's Note:**

> listen i dont know why the gala decided to hire a tea shop to help cater but lets all just pretend i have a reason. also the pacing is kind of icky but i don't wanna look at it longer than i have to
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated!


End file.
